Wake Up to Rape

When more than 1,000 Londoners were surveyed, more than half (56%) of respondents believed there are circumstances where the victim of sexual assault “should accept responsibility.” Let me stress this… Over half of the people surveyed thought sexual assault was the victim’s fault! Not only that, but women placed blame on victims more often than men did... in every single situation… by as much as 16%. Loyal readers already know that no one chooses to be sexually assaulted.

To me, these survey results are just plain weird. My question is this: are these results accurate or were survey participants led toward their answers?

::sidebar:: Objection, your honor. Prosecution is leading the witness.

I’ve always wanted to say that...

If you look at the survey results, you will notice that the same survey also asked questions about the safety precautions people were taking. Are they walking back streets alone? Are they leaving drinks unattended? Are they getting drunk at parties? Are they getting into cabs without checking that they’re licensed? These are all victim blaming questions! Questions like that set up a pattern of thinking that clearly places the responsibility of safety on the victim. Why else would so many women respond the way they did?

Sound off: Do you think the survey questions set up a victim blaming thought pattern or do you think the results accurately reflect attitudes toward sexual assault?

To see the results of The Havens survey: Wake Up to Rape

To visit The Havens official website: The Havens